As someone who made the transition from Jackson Hewitt to a regional accounting firm, I can tell you that the experience absolutely can help your career - but success depends heavily on how you approach it. The reality is that JH will give you high-volume experience with basic returns, which teaches you efficiency and client interaction skills. However, the real value comes from what you do beyond their minimum requirements. I made it a point to: 1. Study every tax code section I encountered, even for simple issues 2. Research complex situations thoroughly rather than just following software prompts 3. Build relationships with more experienced preparers who could mentor me 4. Keep detailed notes on unusual scenarios for future reference When I interviewed at my current firm, I didn't hide that I worked at JH - I emphasized the problem-solving skills I developed and specific tax knowledge I gained. The managing partner actually said my practical client experience gave me an advantage over candidates who only had academic knowledge. One season is usually enough to gain credibility, but make sure you're learning something new every day. Start networking with local firms in March/April when they're planning for the next year. Focus your resume on tax concepts you've mastered rather than just the volume of returns you processed. The key is treating JH as tax school with a paycheck, not just a job. Good luck!

As someone who recently transitioned from Jackson Hewitt to a mid-size CPA firm after one season, I can definitely say the experience was worthwhile - but you need to be strategic about it. The training at JH is pretty basic, but what you'll get is real-world client experience that textbooks can't teach you. You'll learn how to handle difficult clients, explain tax concepts in plain English, and work efficiently under pressure during busy season. These soft skills are just as valuable as technical knowledge when interviewing at better firms. My biggest piece of advice: Don't just rely on their training materials. When you encounter something you don't fully understand, research it on your own time. I spent evenings reading IRS publications and tax court cases related to issues I saw during the day. This deeper knowledge really impressed interviewers later. Also, network while you're there! Many JH locations have preparers who previously worked at local CPA firms or have connections in the industry. I got my current job through a referral from someone I worked with at JH who had moved on to a regional firm. The experience will definitely help your career if you approach it as a learning opportunity rather than just a paycheck. One season of practical experience plus your master's degree should make you competitive for positions at smaller firms. Just make sure to emphasize the tax knowledge you gained and client skills you developed rather than focusing on the workplace itself.

This is unfortunately becoming way too common lately! I'm a CPA and I've had at least a dozen clients deal with this exact CP14/payment disconnect issue just in the past few months. The IRS payment processing system and their account management system aren't properly synced, which creates these phantom balance due notices. When you call tomorrow, make sure you're very specific about asking them to check for "unposted payments" or "misapplied payments" on your account. Sometimes the payment gets coded incorrectly (like as an estimated tax payment for the wrong year) rather than being applied to your actual tax liability. Also, don't just ask them to fix the current issue - request that they put a "no automated notices" flag on your account for 60 days while their systems fully update. This prevents you from getting more CP14 or CP501 notices while the correction is processing. Since you paid through their own website and have the confirmation, this should be resolved quickly once you reach someone. The key is being persistent and not accepting "we'll look into it and get back to you" as an answer. They have the tools to fix this during your call.

I just wanted to chime in as someone who recently dealt with this exact same issue! Got a CP14 notice in January even though I could see my payment clear as day on the IRS website from when I paid in April. It's incredibly frustrating when their own systems can't communicate with each other properly. After reading through all these responses, I wish I had known about some of these services and tips before I spent literally 6 hours over three days trying to get through to someone. I finally connected with an agent who found my payment sitting in what she called "suspense" - apparently it was received but never applied to my actual tax account. The whole thing was resolved once I got someone who actually looked into it. She removed all the interest charges since it was clearly their error and put notes on my account to prevent future automated notices. Got my correction letter about a month later. My advice: call early (7 AM sharp), have all your documentation ready (confirmation number, bank statement, account transcript), and don't let them tell you to just wait it out. Since you have proof from their own website that they received your payment, they absolutely can and should fix this during your call. This seems to be happening more and more lately, so you're definitely not alone in dealing with this mess!

As someone who went through this exact situation two years ago, I can confirm that you absolutely can deduct startup expenses even without revenue - but documentation is everything! The IRS has specific guidelines for agricultural businesses that are more lenient than other industries because they understand farms take time to become profitable. For your $17,500 tractor, you have several options: Section 179 expensing could let you deduct the full amount this year (subject to income limitations), or you could use bonus depreciation for immediate expensing, or spread it over 5-7 years with regular depreciation. Given that you have W-2 income from your regular job, Section 179 might be your best bet to offset that income. The key things that helped me avoid hobby farm classification were: 1) Opening a separate business checking account for all farm expenses, 2) Creating a simple but detailed business plan showing projected timeline to profitability, 3) Keeping meticulous records of all expenses and time spent on farm activities, and 4) Taking photos of improvements and documenting the learning process. One thing I wish I'd known earlier - consider filing Schedule F even in your first year with zero income. It formally establishes your farm business with the IRS and starts your depreciation schedules running. Just make sure you can show legitimate business intent through your actions and documentation. The fact that you're systematically preparing the land and gaining experience with livestock shows real business purpose, not hobby activity.

I've been in almost exactly your situation! Started my small farm operation two years ago while working full-time, and the tax implications were definitely confusing at first. Here's what I learned that might help: You can absolutely claim startup expenses even without revenue, but the IRS will look closely at whether you're operating with genuine profit intent versus just having an expensive hobby. The good news is that agriculture gets more favorable treatment than most other businesses because the IRS recognizes farms typically take several years to become profitable. For your $17,500 tractor, Section 179 expensing could be a game-changer. Since you have W-2 income from your regular job, you might be able to deduct the entire purchase price this year rather than depreciating it over 5-7 years. This can significantly reduce your overall tax burden. The most important thing is documentation. Start keeping detailed records now: separate business bank account, written business plan (doesn't need to be fancy), photos of property improvements, and logs of time spent on farm activities. I also recommend starting a farm journal documenting daily activities, learning experiences, and business decisions - this really helps demonstrate legitimate business intent. Don't worry about the "hobby farm" classification if you're genuinely working toward profitability. The fact that you're systematically preparing infrastructure and gaining livestock experience shows real business purpose. Just make sure you can prove it through your record-keeping and business-like approach to the operation.

I've been doing landscaping for about 3 years now and went through this same learning curve! One thing that helped me a lot was keeping it simple in the beginning - don't overthink it too much your first year. Here's my practical approach: I keep all receipts in two folders - "Materials for Jobs" (plants, mulch, pavers, soil amendments) and "Business Operations" (gas, equipment repairs, insurance, tools). The first folder is basically your COGS, the second is regular expenses. For inventory, I do a quick count/estimate at the end of December. I don't get super precise - I'll count bags of mulch, estimate cubic yards of soil, count flats of leftover plants. The IRS isn't expecting you to weigh every ounce, they just want reasonable estimates that you can support if asked. Pro tip: take photos of your end-of-year inventory! It helps you remember what you had and provides backup documentation. I learned this the hard way when I couldn't remember if I had 15 or 25 bags of mulch left over. Also, since you're new to self-employment, make sure you're setting aside money for quarterly estimated taxes. That caught me off guard my first year way more than the COGS stuff did!

Hey Yuki! Welcome to the self-employed club - it's definitely a learning curve but you're asking all the right questions early on. I run a small property maintenance business and dealt with this exact same confusion my first year. Here's what I wish someone had told me: the key is whether the materials become part of what the customer is paying for. Plants you install = COGS. Fertilizer you apply = COGS. Gas for your mower = regular business expense. For tracking leftovers, I started super simple - just a notebook where I jot down what's left at year-end. Don't overthink it! You can always get more sophisticated as your business grows. One thing that really helped me was thinking about it this way: if a customer calls and asks "what am I paying for exactly?" - the materials they'd expect to see itemized (plants, mulch, pavers) are usually your COGS. The behind-the-scenes stuff (your truck payment, equipment maintenance) are regular expenses. Since you're just starting out and likely under that $25M threshold mentioned earlier, you might even qualify for simplified accounting methods that make this whole process way easier. Definitely worth looking into! Good luck with your first tax season - it gets much easier after you do it once!

Anyone know if this also applies to the additional Medicare tax? I'm above the threshold for that too and wondering if that gets handled the same way when switching employers.

This is exactly what happened to me two years ago when I switched from a startup to a big tech company mid-year. The frustrating part is watching your new colleagues celebrate their "SS tax holiday" while you're still getting hit with the full deduction! One thing I learned the hard way - make sure you keep detailed records of your pay stubs from both employers throughout the year. When tax season came around, I had to dig through months of pay stubs to calculate the exact overpayment amount. Having everything organized made the refund process much smoother. Also, if you're using tax software, most of the major ones (TurboTax, H&R Block, etc.) will automatically calculate your excess Social Security tax refund when you enter your W-2 information. They'll flag it and walk you through claiming it on Schedule 3. Just double-check their math - I caught a small error one year that would have cost me about $200. The silver lining is that you essentially get an interest-free loan to the government that you'll get back at tax time. Not ideal, but at least it's not lost money!